interpretatietalen

Interpretietalen, often translated as interpreted languages, are a category of programming languages that are typically executed by an interpreter program. Unlike compiled languages, where the source code is translated into machine code before execution, interpreted languages are processed line by line or statement by statement at runtime. This means that the interpreter reads the source code and directly performs the actions specified.

The primary advantage of interpreted languages lies in their flexibility and ease of development. Programmers can often make changes and test them immediately without a lengthy compilation process. This rapid feedback loop is particularly beneficial for scripting, rapid prototyping, and interactive environments. Interpreted languages also tend to be more portable, as the same interpreted code can run on any platform that has a compatible interpreter installed, without needing to be recompiled for each architecture.

However, this direct execution comes at the cost of performance. The overhead of the interpreter reading and processing the code at runtime generally makes interpreted languages slower than compiled languages. This performance difference can be significant for computationally intensive applications. Examples of popular interpreted languages include Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and PHP. While many modern interpreters employ techniques like Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation to improve performance, the fundamental distinction between interpretation and compilation remains.